The India national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of India. They are controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of India and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). India is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any World Championship tournaments or at the Olympic Games, but they have only participated in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.[4]
 A version of the national federation logo is the badge used on the players jerseys. | |
| Association | Ice Hockey Association of India |
|---|---|
| General manager | Samarth Sharma[1] |
| Head coach | Abdul Hakim |
| Assistants | Alexandre Touzel |
| Captain | Tsewang Gyaltson |
| Most games | Stanzin Namgyal (34) |
| Top scorer | Rigzin Norboo (10) |
| Most points | Rigzin Norboo (14)[2] |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | IND |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | NR (28 May 2023)[3] |
| First international | |
 Thailand 14–0 India  (Abu Dhabi, UAE; 15 March 2009) | |
| Biggest win | |
India 5–1 Macau  (Dehradun, India; 21 March 2012) India 7–3 Macau (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 25 April 2017) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
 Kuwait 39–2 India (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 26 April 2011) | |
| IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia | |
| Appearances | 9 (first in 2009) |
| Best result | 6th (2011, 2012) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 4–37–0 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship | ||
 |
2017 Kuwait City | Division I |
History edit
Background of ice hockey in Ladakh edit
The history of ice hockey in India dates back almost 100 years, when ice hockey was a favourite pastime for the British Raj in Shimla. The Shimla Ice Skating Club is still very active in promoting ice sports in India. In the early 1970s, the Ladakh Scouts, a battalion of the Indian Army posted in the high border regions, took up the game. The high Changthang Plateau's frozen streams and high altitude lakes make the region an ideal place to play ice hockey, and as a result, the game spread amongst the army. The game gained more widespread popularity exhibition matches began taking place in Leh in the winter. With little to do during the region's harsh winters, locals began to play on a small irrigation pond in Karzoo, Leh.[5][6]
Ice hockey gear was not and is still not available to buy in Ladakh. The few locals who have contacts outside Ladakh have requested friends to get ice hockey skates. The Ladakh Scouts are well equipped as they get their gear through the army. The Jammu & Kashmir department of tourism also had a full set of equipment, but was reluctant to spare any.[7][8] The only place in India where ice sports equipment is readily available is Shimla, a small hill station in the northwestern part of India, where two Chinese brothers began making skates that are still used today.[9]
Due to the lack of accessible equipment, Ladakhis began to improvise, with the first teams obtaining ice skating blades from Shimla and nailing them to army ammunition boots. Roller skates and ground hockey sticks were also used. To create pucks, locals cut the thick, rubber heels of army boots into a rounded shape. Goalkeepers wore ground hockey pads but lacked helmets; neither helmets nor knee and elbow pads were used by other players. Despite injuries, due to this lack of protective gear, the game has continued to grow in popularity in the region.[10][11][12][13][14]
National team edit
India made its international debut in 2009 at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, finishing eighth and thus last. In their first game, they were shutout by Thailand 14–0. After two more losses, a 10–0 loss to Mongolia and a 10–1 loss to Malaysia, India, bottom of their group with a goal difference of minus 33, in which they again lost both games. First, they lost to Singapore 5–0, and finally lost to Macau 8–0 in the seventh place game. Two years later, they suffered their biggest international defeat to date at 2–39 against Kuwait at the 2011 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. On 21 March 2012, the national team notched its first international victory at the 2012 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia, they defeated Macau 5–1. India has participated in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia from 2009 to 2018, with the exception of 2010. From 2014 to 2018, they played in Division I of the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. In 2017, India finished second of four teams in Division I tournament (seventh overall). First, they narrowly defeated Oman 3–2, then lost to Kuwait 8–5, and finally won 7–3 over Macau. India has not been active, nor played an official game against other national team, since 2018.[15]
Tournament record edit
Challenge Cup of Asia edit
| Year | Host | Result | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Hong Kong |
did not participate | |||||
| 2009 |  Abu Dhabi |
8th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2010 |  Taipei City |
did not participate | |||||
| 2011 | Kuwait City |
6th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2012 | Dehradun |
6th place | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2013 | Bangkok |
10th place | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 |  Bishkek |
10th place (4th in Division I) |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2015 | Kuwait City |
11th place (6th in Division I) |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2016 | Bishkek |
10th place (5th in Division I) |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2017 | Kuwait City |
7th place (2nd in Division I) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 |  Kuala Lumpur |
9th place (4th in Division I) |
5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | did not participate | ||||||
| Total | 9/12 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 37 | |
All-time record against other national teams edit
Last match update: 29 March 2018[16]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 |
 Indonesia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kuwait |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 70 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 44 |
| Macau |
10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 27 | 47 |
| Malaysia |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 78 |
 Mongolia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
 Oman |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 |
 Qatar |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 Singapore |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 42 |
| Thailand |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 |
| United Arab Emirates |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 41 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 81 | 429 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "INDIA". Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "India". National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Ice Hockey in India". Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ "On Thin Ice: India's National Ice Hockey Team". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ Tiwari, Mansi. "All eyes on Ice Hockey Team". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ Horstmann, Jakob (21 February 2013). "Playing ice hockey in the Indian Himalayas". The Guardian.
- ^ "Breaking the ice: Story of India's ice hockey team is stuff movies are made of". Indianexpress.com. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Ladakh hosts World's highest altitude women's ice hockey tournament". The Bridge. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "India ice hockey: National team crowd-funding bid successful". BBC News. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Director Ice Hockey Association of India Akshay Kumar | DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Breaking the ice: Story of India's ice hockey team is stuff movies are made of". The Indian Express. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Akshay Kumar donates Rs 2cr for ice hockey | Bollywood.com News". Bollywood.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Schwartz: Ex-Islanders Employee Helps Grow Hockey In India". Newyork.cbslocal.com. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "India Men All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "India Men All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2017.